How many local schools hired Ibram X. Kendi to speak?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And how much did they pay him? Sidwell did, and recommended his book. Will there be any sort of mea culpa from the administrators who thought it was a good idea to force our kids to listen to him?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-launches-inquiry-into-center-for-antiracist-research/

I’m confused. This article talks about how the school is looking into his restructuring of his center from a grants-seeking organization to a fellowship-based model, resulting in layoffs of more than half the staff (19 people). It says nothing against his views or book, in fact all the quotes from BU admin specifically recognize the importance of his views and vision and say they look forward to continuing to work with him. How do you se this article as some kind of indictment that would require a mea culpa from schools that read his book or had him speak?

There has been serious financial misconduct but no BU isn’t copping to it. Here’s one of many articles that start to explain it:

https://www.boston.com/news/schools/2023/09/21/inquiry-launched-into-ibram-x-kendis-center-for-antiracist-research-at-bu/?amp=1

[Anonymous]

I thought this was a good take on the Kendi drama. TLDR: he was a decent academic who got caught up in his own hype. But the real bad guys are the institutions and leaders who used him to paper over systemic problems for people of color.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/28/ibram-kendi-stamped-center-antiracist-research/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought this was a good take on the Kendi drama. TLDR: he was a decent academic who got caught up in his own hype. But the real bad guys are the institutions and leaders who used him to paper over systemic problems for people of color.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/28/ibram-kendi-stamped-center-antiracist-research/

But how much money is missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And how much did they pay him? Sidwell did, and recommended his book. Will there be any sort of mea culpa from the administrators who thought it was a good idea to force our kids to listen to him?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-launches-inquiry-into-center-for-antiracist-research/

I’m confused. This article talks about how the school is looking into his restructuring of his center from a grants-seeking organization to a fellowship-based model, resulting in layoffs of more than half the staff (19 people). It says nothing against his views or book, in fact all the quotes from BU admin specifically recognize the importance of his views and vision and say they look forward to continuing to work with him. How do you se this article as some kind of indictment that would require a mea culpa from schools that read his book or had him speak?

There has been serious financial misconduct but no BU isn’t copping to it. Here’s one of many articles that start to explain it:

https://www.boston.com/news/schools/2023/09/21/inquiry-launched-into-ibram-x-kendis-center-for-antiracist-research-at-bu/?amp=1

Even if “serious financial misconduct” is accurate, that doesn’t negate his views on antiracism. I still don’t see OP’s point that this somehow deserves apologies from schools who used his book or had him speak.

I will caveat all this with, I haven’t read his book or paid attention to him and have no opinion of his views specifically and whether I’d agree or disagree or think he was overhyped or whatever. I just don’t see the relevance of what is happening at BU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And how much did they pay him? Sidwell did, and recommended his book. Will there be any sort of mea culpa from the administrators who thought it was a good idea to force our kids to listen to him?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-launches-inquiry-into-center-for-antiracist-research/

I’m confused. This article talks about how the school is looking into his restructuring of his center from a grants-seeking organization to a fellowship-based model, resulting in layoffs of more than half the staff (19 people). It says nothing against his views or book, in fact all the quotes from BU admin specifically recognize the importance of his views and vision and say they look forward to continuing to work with him. How do you se this article as some kind of indictment that would require a mea culpa from schools that read his book or had him speak?

There has been serious financial misconduct but no BU isn’t copping to it. Here’s one of many articles that start to explain it:

https://www.boston.com/news/schools/2023/09/21/inquiry-launched-into-ibram-x-kendis-center-for-antiracist-research-at-bu/?amp=1

Even if “serious financial misconduct” is accurate, that doesn’t negate his views on antiracism. I still don’t see OP’s point that this somehow deserves apologies from schools who used his book or had him speak.

I will caveat all this with, I haven’t read his book or paid attention to him and have no opinion of his views specifically and whether I’d agree or disagree or think he was overhyped or whatever. I just don’t see the relevance of what is happening at BU.

If being a grifter doesn’t call into question the content of a person’s grift for you, I won’t be able to convince you it should.

[Anonymous]

Did any local school have him come in person? My child’s college had him come via zoom, no idea what that cost. Holton did have faculty and students read one of his books but there was no huge cost to that. I’ve read a few and his ideas make for great discussions so don’t think it was a waste of time. The reader doesn’t not need to take it all as fact, just another viewpoint to add to the discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did any local school have him come in person? My child’s college had him come via zoom, no idea what that cost. Holton did have faculty and students read one of his books but there was no huge cost to that. I’ve read a few and his ideas make for great discussions so don’t think it was a waste of time. The reader doesn’t not need to take it all as fact, just another viewpoint to add to the discussion.

Only if our kids want to get canceled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought this was a good take on the Kendi drama. TLDR: he was a decent academic who got caught up in his own hype. But the real bad guys are the institutions and leaders who used him to paper over systemic problems for people of color.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/28/ibram-kendi-stamped-center-antiracist-research/

But how much money is missing?

It’s like $2 billion that he got from Saudi Arabia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did any local school have him come in person? My child’s college had him come via zoom, no idea what that cost. Holton did have faculty and students read one of his books but there was no huge cost to that. I’ve read a few and his ideas make for great discussions so don’t think it was a waste of time. The reader doesn’t not need to take it all as fact, just another viewpoint to add to the discussion.

Only if our kids want to get canceled.

Oh your poor children. What victims they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did any local school have him come in person? My child’s college had him come via zoom, no idea what that cost. Holton did have faculty and students read one of his books but there was no huge cost to that. I’ve read a few and his ideas make for great discussions so don’t think it was a waste of time. The reader doesn’t not need to take it all as fact, just another viewpoint to add to the discussion.

$20K to "come" via Zoom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought this was a good take on the Kendi drama. TLDR: he was a decent academic who got caught up in his own hype. But the real bad guys are the institutions and leaders who used him to paper over systemic problems for people of color.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/28/ibram-kendi-stamped-center-antiracist-research/

He is an anthropologist not an social scientist. (And that's fine; researching and telling stories of people's livrs is valuable.)
But his antiracist "research" program was unfounded, and his use of the word "anti racist" is academically dishonest politicization as a basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not white but I think Kendi is way over hyped. I think he is divisive which is not helpful in any type of long term strategy.
People are getting tired of his rhetoric.
How much did these schools pay him to come speak?

$20k minimum donation

Poorly written books and one can drive a truck through his glossed over assumptions and premises.

Wow! That is a huge amount of money for questionable inflammatory views. I have to hand it to him - he is a genius at marketing himself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure what you're getting at?

The issue as I see it is that Kendi relied on a grant model in his center to advance the agenda. I work in a university and have grants. They are relentless. They are not super equitable about who does how much work and how much they are compensated. They are grueling. They are very top-down and rigid. Looks like that was all felt at his center and he's re-imagining it to be a fellowship model, which seems much more equitable and manageable and probably a better fit; that said, grants are a good way to get funded, so there are negatives, too. Totally understandable that people would gripe about working conditions and restructuring (both are so so common in universities) and that he would respond with a shift accordingly, with the support of the Provost.

This is not an indictment of his character or views or values at all. This is an office management shake up. It has no relationship with the content of his book or his actual thought-leadership.

If accurate, the accounts of workplace conditions at the center are an indictment of his character. You can agree or disagree with his ideas, views, and values, but it is indisputable that he is not willing to engage in free debate about his views, and his proposed solution for addressing systemic racism involves totalitarian measures.

He downsized and people were let go. Of course people will complain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It made schools feel good about themselves. I am a liberal and thus would have preferred any money spent on the DEI train would have instead been spent on scholarships for URMs.

DEI is reverse racism period.

Work hard. The opportunity is for everyone in America. Excuses are for losers. Same for anyone that expects handouts or special treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It made schools feel good about themselves. I am a liberal and thus would have preferred any money spent on the DEI train would have instead been spent on scholarships for URMs.

DEI is reverse racism period.

Work hard. The opportunity is for everyone in America. Excuses are for losers. Same for anyone that expects handouts or special treatment.

If you think DEI is reverse racism then you’re making excuses for loser white people